David Ragan joins BK Racing

David Ragan (photo courtesy of Getty Images for NASCAR)

By AMANDA VINCENT

David Ragan has joined BK Racing to drive the No. 23 Toyota full-time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition in 2016. He’ll be a teammate to Matt DiBenedetto, who remains with BK Racing to drive the No. 83 Toyota.

“It’s a big relief to have the opportunity to go race full-time in the Sprint Cup Series,” Ragan told an Atlanta FOX affiliate, according to a report from FOX Sports.

Ragan drove the No. 55 for the now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing through most of the 2016 season as a result of medical issues suffered by driver Brian Vickers. Ragan started the 2015 with Front Row Motorsports, but after the season-opening Daytona 500, he moved over to Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 18 Toyota for injured driver Kyle Busch for several races before moving to MWR. He finished out the year with Michael Waltrip Racing, but that organization shut its doors at the end of the 2015 season, leaving Ragan without a ride for 2016.

Ragan has two-career wins at the Sprint Cup level, both coming in restrictor-plate races. He won at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in 2011 while still driving a No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, the team with which he began his Cup career. He claimed a win at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in 2016 while driving for Front Row Motorsports.

In all, Ragan has 326-career starts in the Sprint Cup Series. His two wins are among 15-career top-fives and 36 top-10 finishes.